Calculation of properties of objects/shapes across versions of applications

ABSTRACT

Systems and methods are disclosed in which a self-describing file is generated and utilized to provide applications with the ability to properly preserve unknown file content. A self-describing file may contain, or be associated with, an extension section that provides information that an application can use to properly calculate unknown file content. The extension section may include functions of formulas that the application can use to calculate values for data that the application would not otherwise support. This allows for the content of the self-describing file to be modified by an application that does not support all of the capabilities of the file while maintaining the integrity of the file and user experience when the file is subsequently accessed by a full featured application.

BACKGROUND

Different applications may be capable of operating upon files with thesame or similar file types. However, the different applications mayprovide different file content and/or support different operations uponfiles. Oftentimes, it is desirable to maintain compatibility of a filecreated by a first version of an application with different versions ofthe application or different applications entirely. Doing so allowsusers of different applications to share, manipulate, and/or otherwiseaccess a file created by the first version application even though thefile may have been created using a version of the application thatprovides additional content, capabilities or features nor present inother versions or other applications. When this occurs, a less featuredversion of the application may be able to access and manipulate the filewith respect to the capabilities and content it supports while ignoringthe capabilities and content it does not, thereby providing the user ofthe less featured application with the ability to use and/or modify theapplication file. However, if the less featured application modifies theapplication file, it may not correctly preserve the portions of the filecontent unknown to the lesser featured application due to the limitationof the lesser featured application. It is with respect to this generalenvironment that embodiments of the present disclosure have beencontemplated.

Although specific problems have been addressed in this Background, thisdisclosure is not intended in any way to be limited to solving thosespecific problems.

SUMMARY

Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to maintaining propertiesstored in a file that may be shared by different versions of anapplication. A self-describing file may be used to provide anapplication with the information that may be used to correctly calculateor otherwise maintain file data, even if portions of the file data arenot supported by a version of the application that manipulates theself-describing file. In embodiments, the self-describing file maycontain an extension section, or may otherwise store or be associatedwith metadata, that describes the proper calculation of data that aversion of an application may not support, thereby allowing the versionof the application to properly preserve unknown file content. As such,the self-describing file may be utilized by applications to properlypreserve unknown file content. Further embodiments disclosed hereinrelate to systems and method for generating and maintaining aself-describing file.

This summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in asimplified form that are further described below in the DetailedDescription. This summary is not intended to identify key features oressential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended tobe used to limit the scope of the claimed subject matter.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The same number represents the same element or same type of element inall drawings.

FIG. 1 illustrates an embodiment of a self-describing file 100preserving unknown file contents.

FIG. 2 is an illustration of a flow chart representing an embodiment ofa method 200 for creating a self-describing file.

FIG. 3 is an illustration of a flowchart representing an embodiment of amethod 300 performed by an application capable of properly recalculatingproperties values stored in a self-describing file.

FIG. 4 is an illustration of flowchart representing an embodiment of amethod 400 for preserving unknown file contents.

FIG. 5 illustrates an embodiment of a computer environment and computersystem 500 for implementing the methods disclosed herein.

FIG. 6A illustrates one embodiment of a mobile computing device 600 forexecuting embodiments of creating and utilizing self-descriptive fileformats described herein.

FIG. 6 is a simplified block diagram of an exemplary mobile computingdevice system 602 suitable for practicing embodiments of theself-describing file format disclosed herein.

FIG. 7 illustrates an embodiment of a system for providing theembodiments disclosed herein to one or more client devices.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

This disclosure will now more fully describe exemplary embodiments withreference to the accompanying drawings, in which some of the possibleembodiments are shown. Other aspects, however, may be embodied in manydifferent forms and the inclusion of specific embodiments in thedisclosure should not be construed as limiting such aspects to theembodiments set forth herein. Rather, the embodiments depicted in thedrawings are included to provide a disclosure that is thorough andcomplete and which fully conveys the intended scope to those skilled inthe art. When referring to the figures, like structures and elementsshown throughout are indicated with like reference numerals.

Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to maintaining propertiesstored in a file shared by different versions of an application.Software products are continually developed and released as new versionsor different versions, each of which may provide different capabilitiesand/or content. Oftentimes, different applications may be capable ofoperating upon same file types. It is desirable to maintaincompatibility of a file created by a first version of the applicationwith different versions of the application or entirely differentapplications. Doing so provides users of different applications theability share, manipulate, and/or otherwise access a file created by thefirst application even though the file may have been created using aversion of the application that provides additional capabilities and/orcontent beyond the capabilities of other applications or other versionsof the application. In such situations, a less featured version of theapplication may be able to access and manipulate the file, with respectto the capabilities and content the less featured application supports,while ignoring the capabilities and or content the less featuredapplication does not support and/or provide. Thus a user of the lessfeatured application has the ability to use and/or modify theapplication file crated by the first application. However, if the lessfeatured application modifies the file created by the first application,the less featured application may not correctly preserve the portions ofthe file unknown to it due to the limitations of the less featuredapplication.

In some circumstances, capabilities, content, and/or properties providedby a full featured (or newer version) of the application may bedependent upon content and/or properties of the application file thatthe less featured (or older version) application does not support. Insuch circumstances, a user of the less featured application may modifythe property that the less featured application supports; however,because the less featured application does not support the additionalcapability, content, and/or properties it may not update the applicationfile correctly with respect to the unsupported (or unknown) content.

For ease of discussion, embodiments and examples disclosed herein willbe described with respect to a diagramming application, such as VISIO®provided by the Microsoft Corporation of Redmond, Wash. In a firstembodiment, a full featured version of a diagramming application mayprovide properties for a shape such as color, shading, and transparency.The transparency property of the full featured application may bedependent upon the value of the shading property, so the firstapplication calculates a value for the transparency property based uponthe value of the shading property. The values for these properties maythen be saved into an application file. The application file may then beopened by a second, less featured application. The less featuredapplication may support the color and shading properties for shapes, butit may not support the transparency property or it may not treat thetransparency property as dependent upon the shape. The secondapplication may then modify the shading property of the shape and writethe modification to the application file. However, because the secondapplication does not recognize or support the dependency between thetransparency property and the shading property, the second applicationmay not properly update the transparency property in response tomodifying the shading property. Because the transparency property wasnot correctly updated by the second application, when the firstapplication subsequently accesses the application file, the firstapplication may not be able to correctly display the transparencyproperty of the shape. Although a diagramming application is used in theexample, one of skill in the art will appreciate that the describedproblem is prevalent in other types of applications such as, but notlimited to, word processing applications, spreadsheet applications,presentation applications, or any other type of versioned applications(or different applications) capable of sharing files. One of skill inthe art will appreciate that the embodiments disclosed herein may bepracticed with other diagramming applications or other types ofapplications.

Embodiments of the present disclosure provide an application with theability to provide meaningful values for both native and extendedobjects, properties, relationships, formulas, and/or any other componentof the self-describing file. In embodiments, a native object, property,relationship, formula, and/or component is a portion of aself-describing file that the application supports. As such, anapplication may be capable of properly handling and/or providing a valuefor a native component of the file. An extended object, property,relationship, formula, and/or component may be a portion of aself-describing file that an application may not support. As such, anapplication may not be capable of properly handling and/or providing avalue for an extended portion of the file.

Embodiments of the present disclosure solve the exemplary problems byproviding a self-describing file that may be shared between differentversions of applications. In embodiments, the self-describing file maybe used to provide an application with the information that may be usedto correctly calculate (or otherwise maintain) file data even ifportions of the file data are not supported by the applicationmanipulating the self-describing file. The self-describing file mayinclude information that allows an application to recalculate native andextended properties when modifying the self-describing file. Nativeproperties may be values of the self-describing file that theapplication supports (e.g., objects, properties, formulas, etc. that areknown to the application). Extended properties may be values of theself-describing file that the application does not support. Inembodiments, the self-describing file may contain an extension section,or may otherwise store data that provides information related to thetreatment of one or more sections of data in the self-describing file.In one embodiment, the information related to the treatment of the datamay be provided in an extension section. The extension section maydescribe the proper calculation of data relied upon for file content,e.g., including file content that a version of an application may notsupport. The extension section thereby allows the less featured versionof the application to properly preserve unknown file content.

In additional embodiments, a full featured version of an application isable to detect when another application has not properly calculatedvalues of the file content. In such embodiments, the full featuredversion of the application may recalculate the miscalculated values andproperly update the content of the file.

FIG. 1 is an embodiment of a self-describing file 100 for preservingunknown file contents for files that may be shared across differentversions of an application. In embodiments, the self-describing file maycontain one or more objects, such as Object 1 106A and Object N 106B.Although the self-describing file 100 illustrated in FIG. 1 contains twoobjects, the self-describing file 100 may contain any number of objectsas illustrated by the ellipsis. In embodiments, the objects may relateto text, shapes, values, data structures, or any other type of datacapable of being stored a file.

In embodiments, each object may have one or more properties associatedwith it, such as Property 1 108A, Property 2 108B, and Property 3 108Cassociated with Object 1 106A and Property 1 108D, Property 2 108E, andProperty 3 108F associated with Object N 106B. Although Object 1 106Aand Object N 106B are illustrated as having a three propertiesassociated with each, one of skill in the art will appreciate thatobjects stored in the self-describing file 100 may have any number ofproperties associated with them or may not have any propertiesassociated with them.

The objects and properties illustrated in FIG. 1 may differ depending onthe application that the self-describing file 100 is employed with. Forexample, if the self-describing file 100 is associated with adiagramming application, the objects may relate to different shapes andthe properties may relate to different characteristics of the shape(e.g., color, shading, transparency, size, outline, etc.) In anotherembodiment, if the self-describing file 100 is associated with a wordprocessing application, the object may be related to a paragraph or textand the properties may be related to characteristics such as font face,font size, style, etc. In yet another embodiment, if the self-describingfile 100 is associated with a spreadsheet application an object mayrepresent a table or cell and the properties may representcharacteristics such as values, formulas, fonts, etc. In alternateembodiments, a property may be any type of data included in theapplication. While specific examples of object and application aredescribed herein, one of skill in the art will appreciate that theseexamples do not limit the scope of the disclosure and the embodiments ofthe self-describing file 100 disclosed herein may be employed regardlessof the application and/or application data the self-describing file 100is associated with.

In embodiments, the self-describing file 100 may contain an extensionsection 102. The extension section 102 contains information thatdescribes the different types of data stored in the file. Inembodiments, the extension section may contain information related toall of the data in the file or to a subset of data in the file. Theextension section may describe a type of object, a property of anobject, a value, or any other type of data stored in the self-describingfile. For example, the extension section 102 may contain informationdescribing object 106A, any of the properties 108A-108C, or any othertype of data. The extension section 102 of the self-describing file 100contains information that allows an application to correctly preservecontent stored in the self-describing file 100 that is unknown to theapplication accessing the file. As such, the extension section 102provides applications with information that may be used to update and ormaintain data in the self-describing file 100 even if the applicationdoes not natively support the capability or property that the data isrelated to. In embodiments, the extension section may contain XML,binary, HTML, source code, or information in any other form that anapplication and/or processor executing the application is capable ofinterpreting.

Although illustrated as part of the self-describing file 100 in FIG. 1,in alternate embodiments the extension section 102 may exist external tothe self-describing file 100. For example, the extension section 102 maybe a separate file that is reference by the self-describing file 100. Inother embodiments, the extension section may be stored separately fromthe self-describing file 100 but may be otherwise accessible to theapplication accessing the self-describing file 100 such as in adirectory which the application has access to or on a network accessibleby the application, such as, but not limited to, the Internet.

In embodiments, the extension section 102 may contain one or moreextensions elements, such as Extension 1 104A, Extension 2 104B, andExtension N 104C. Although the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 1 providesthree extension elements, one of skill in the art will appreciate thatthe extension section 102 may contain any number of extensions. Inembodiments, the extensions are used to define objects, properties, orother types of data stored in the self-describing file 100 which mayotherwise be unknown to or not natively supported by an applicationaccessing the self-describing file 100. For example, the extensions maydefine a property that the application may not support. In otherembodiments, the extensions may define a relationship between propertiesthat the application may support, but may not be aware of therelationship between the properties. For example, referring again to anexemplary diagramming application, a first diagramming application maycalculate the transparency property of a shape based upon the shadingproperty of the shape. A second application may not natively supportsuch a calculation and/or relationship. However, an extension providedin the extension section 102 of the self-describing file 100 may definethe calculation and/or relationship, thereby providing the secondapplication with the information that may be used to calculate thetransparency property to produce a meaningful value. As such, inembodiments, the extension elements of the extension section 102 provideinformation, such as, but not limited to, formulas or functions that anapplication may use to properly calculate values for both nativelysupported and extend features. In doing so, the extension section maythus provide the application with the ability to preserve unknown (e.g.,not natively supported) file contents.

In embodiments, the extension element may be an XML element stored inthe extension section 102 of the self-describing file 100. In suchembodiments, the extension element may be a top-level element thatidentifies information (e.g., formulas, functions, additional objects,additional properties, etc.) that may be used by applications accessingthe self-describing file 100 to preserve the content of theself-describing file 100. In such embodiments, the extension element maycontain one or more child elements that are used to provide descriptiveinformation for one or more portions of the file content.

In one embodiment, the extension element may contain one or more childelements that identifies a type of section, object, or other type ofdata stored in the self-describing file 100. For example, an objectelement may be a child of the extension element that defines a sectionof the self-describing file or a type of object stored in theself-describing file 100. The object element may contain attributes thatidentify the type of object as well as the type of information that theobject stores. In embodiments, the object element may be an XML element.An application may use information from the object element to identifyan object stored in the file content.

An example of an object element may be a SectionDef element. In anembodiment where the self-describing file 100 is utilized with adiagramming application, the SectionDef element may identify thefollowing types of objects and/or data: a character or set ofcharacters, a paragraph, a scratch, a connection, a field, a control, ageometry, an action, a layer, a user, a property, a hyperlink, areviewer, an annotation, an action tag, tabs, etc. Although specificexamples are provided, one of skill in the art will appreciate that theSectionDef element is but one type of child element that identifies aspecific object or data portion of the self-describing file 100. Table 1provides an example embodiment of attributes that a SectionDef elementmay support.

TABLE 1 Example Embodiment of a SectionDef Element Attribute DescriptionN The name of the section. T The type of rows that will appear in thissection. S A style inheritance path to follow. Possible values may be“Line,” “Fill,” “Text,” etc.

In further embodiments, the extension element may also contain one ormore child elements that define a property that is stored in theself-describing file 100. In embodiments, a property element may containinformation that an application may use to properly calculate a valuefor a certain property stored in the self-describing file 100.

An example of a property element may be a CellDef element. In anembodiment where the self-describing file 100 is utilized with adiagramming application, the CellDef element may define the type ofvalue for a property. Table 2 provides an example embodiment ofattributes that a CellDef element may support.

TABLE 2 Example Embodiment of a CellDef Element Attribute Description NThe name of the CellDef element. T The cell type. Possible values of Tare:  1. BYTE: 1byte unsigned byte  2. CHAR: 1byte signed byte  3. BOOL:1byte Boolean  4. PCTU100_5: 1byte unsigned percent, 0.00 to 100.0,   rounded to half-percent, stored 0-255  5. WORD: 2byte unsigned short  6.SHORT: 2byte signed short  7. DWORD: 4byte unsigned long  8. LONG: 4bytesigned long  9. FLOAT: 4byte float 10. DOUBLE: 8byte double 11. PERCENT:8byte percent, 100% = 1.0 12. GUID: 16byte GUID 13. MULTIDIM: 10bytemulti-dimensional UNUM 14. TWIPS: 2byte signed 1/20ths of a point 15.CAL: 1byte, MSO Calendar enumeration 16. ANY: 9byte any allowed result17. UNUM: double with units; F The cell default formula if no formula orvalue is written. IX The position of the column within a row.

In embodiments, a property element may also define a formula or functionthat may be used to calculate the value of the property represented bythe element. An application that does not support the propertyrepresented by the element may nonetheless use the formula or functionprovided as an attribute of the property element to calculate a valuefor the property. By doing so, the self-describing file 100 provides theapplication with the ability to preserve the value of the property thatthe application may not support, thereby preserving content, or aspectsof the content, that may be unknown to the application. In otherembodiments, the property element may define an object, property, orother component of the file. The definition may include data that a lessfeatured application (e.g., an application that does not nativelysupport the object, property, etc.) can utilized to calculate values forthe non-supported object, property, etc.

In further embodiments, the extension element may contain one or morechild elements that define, objects, properties, functions, and/orformulas that may be used to calculate values for properties, objects,or other components stored in the self-describing file 100. A functionelement may be associated with a property, an object, or any other typeof data stored in the self-describing file 100. In such embodiments, thefunction element may be used, similar to the function attribute of theproperty element, to provide functions and/or formulas that anapplication may not natively support. By doing so, the function elementprovides for the preservation of values present in the self-describingfile 100 that may be unknown to an application access theself-describing file. In embodiments, the function child provides anapplication with the ability to preserve unknown file contents, even ifthe application does not otherwise support or handle the file contents.

In embodiments, in order to preserve unknown file contents, anapplication accessing (e.g., opening) the self-describing file 100 mayparse and load any information provided by one or more function elementsstored in the extension section that is part of or associated with theself-describing file 100. In such embodiments, an application may usethe data form the extension section to calculate and store a value foran object or property, even if that version of the application does nototherwise natively support the object or property. The calculated valuemay be stored in the self-describing file, thereby allowing theapplication to preserve unknown file content. In embodiments, thecalculated value may differ from a value calculated by a full featuredapplication; however, the information provided in the extension sectionmay allow the less featured application to provide a value that iscompliant with an expected value (e.g., a value calculated by a fullfeatured application). As such, the information allows the less featuredapplication to, at the very least, provide a meaningful value wherewithout the information the less featured application may have returnedan error or provided meaningless information.

As described herein, a self-describing file 100 may be used to preventissues where object and/or property data not natively supported by anapplication is improperly maintained when the application modifies thecontent of the self-describing file 100. Returning to the transparencyexample in which the value of a transparency property is dependent uponthe value of a shading property, an application that modifies theshading property of an object may nevertheless calculate a value for thetransparency property using the functions, object, properties and/orother information described by the extension element and/or its childelements provided in the extension section 102 of the self-describingfile 100, even if the application does not natively support calculationof the transparency property. Moreover, native objects and propertiesthat have values dependent on an extended object, property,relationship, etc. (e.g., the transparency property from the examplesprovided) may also be calculated by the less featured application eventhough the extended property, object, relationship etc. may not be knownto the lesser featured application.

FIG. 2 is an illustration of a flow chart representing an embodiment ofa method 200 for creating a self-describing file. Flow begins atoperation 202 where an application creates a self-describing file, suchas the self-describing file 100 from FIG. 1. In embodiments, anapplication may create the self-describing file in response to a commandissued by a user or by another application. In embodiments, theself-describing file may be a diagram file created by a diagrammingapplication, a document file created by a word processing application, aspreadsheet file created by a spreadsheet application, or any other typeof file. In further embodiments, information provided by an extensionelement may also be used in conjunction with a data stream. As such, aless featured application may use self-describing information (providedin an extension element or otherwise) to properly manipulate data in adata stream.

During the creation operation 202, objects, properties, and/orcomponents may be included in the self-describing file. In embodiments,the objects, properties, and or components may be written to theself-describing file. At operation 204 a first portion of data iswritten to the self-describing file. In embodiments, the first portionof data may be a property representing a characteristic of an object.For example, if the self-describing file is created by a diagrammingapplication, it may contain an object representing a shape. The firstportion of data may be a characteristic of the shape, such as theshape's color, size, outlining, shading, etc. As another example, if theself-describing file is created by a word processing application, anobject representing a string of text may be written to theself-describing file. In such an embodiment, the first portion of datamay be a characteristic of the text such as font face, font size, color,indentation, etc. As such, in embodiments, a first portion of data mayrepresent a characteristic of any object in the self-describing file,any component of the self-describing file (such as a section, atemplate, etc.) or a characteristic of the self-describing file itself.In further embodiments, the first portion of data may be an object, aproperty, a formula, a relationship, a component or any other type ofdata that may be written to the self-describing file.

Flow continues to operation 206 where at least a second portion of datais written to the self-describing file. Similar to the first portion ofdata, the second portion of data may represent an, object, a property, acharacteristic of any object in the self-describing file, or anycomponent of the self-describing file (such as a section, a template,etc.) or a characteristic of the self-describing file itself. Inembodiments, the second portion of data may be related to the firstportion of data. For example, the value of the second portion of datamay depend upon the value of the first portion of data. Furthermore, thesecond portion of data may be natively supported by a first applicationthat creates the self-describing file, but it may not be nativelysupported by other applications that may subsequently access theself-describing file. As such, a second application that later accessesand modifies the file, for example, by writing a new value for the firstportion of data, may not correctly update the second portion. In suchcircumstances, when the application that created the file again accessesthe file, it may encounter an error with respect to the second portionof data. Exemplary errors include errors with respect to displaying thesecond portion of data to the user, errors accessing the second portionof data, errors writing a value related to the second portion of data,errors in the value of the second portion of data, or any other type oferror.

To prevent error situations, flow proceeds to operation 208 where theapplication provides at least one extension that provides informationabout the portions of the file that a less featured application may notnatively support. For example, the one or more extension may define arelationship between the first portion of data and the second portion ofdata, may define the second portion of data, or may provide any othertype of information regarding the file that a different version of anapplication (or different application altogether) may not nativelysupport. In embodiments, defining a relationship may entail providing aformula to calculate the second portion of data based on the first, datadefining the second portion of data (e.g., the structure of the data,information about the fields of the data, etc.), or any otherinformation about the second portion of data that an applicationaccessing the self-describing file may not natively understand and/orsupport. In embodiments, the at least one extension may be written tothe extension section that may be part of or associated with theself-describing file, such as extension section 102 of FIG. 1. Inalternate embodiments, the at least one extension may be provided in aseparate file that is related to the self-describing file, as describedwith respect to FIG. 1. The at least one extension provided at operation208 may be of the type of extension elements and/or the child described.One of skill in the art will appreciate that an extension may take anyform so long as it describes a relationship, an object, a property, aformula, or any other component of a self-describing file in a mannersuch that a second application that subsequently accesses theself-describing file is capable of calculating a value for therelationship, an object, a property, a formula, or any other componenteven if the second application does not natively support suchcalculations.

In embodiments, the application that creates the self-describing filemay generate the at least one extension that provides information aboutat least a portion of the content of the self-describing file. Forexample, the application may generate a function or formula thatdescribes the relationship between the first portion of data and secondportion of data. In embodiments, the application creating theself-describing file may also include information in the extensionsection related to properties, object, or other elements of the filethat a less featured application may not natively support. Suchinformation may be provided in the at least one extension. In analternate embodiment, the application creating the self-describing filemay receive information about the extension from another source. Forexample, the application creating the self-describing file may receive aformula or function describing the relationship from a user, fromanother application, or from a file stored locally or on a network.Regardless of whether the application generates the extension itself orreceives the extension from another source, the extension may beincluded in the self-describing file at operation 208.

After providing the at least one extension at operation 208, flowcontinues to operation 210 where, in embodiments, the applicationcreating the self-describing file writes any additional data (e.g.,additional object, properties, extensions, etc.) to the file and savesthe file. In embodiments, the file may be saved in computer storagemedia, such as the computer storage media described in FIG. 5. Storingthe self-describing file allows the applications to access theself-describing file in the future.

Although the method 200 is described as providing two portions of datato the self-describing file, one of skill in the art will appreciatethat any number of properties may be included in the self-describingfile. Additionally, in embodiments, any number of extensions may bewritten to the self-describing file defining different types ofrelationships, properties, objects, etc. For example, a third propertymay be written to the self-describing file. The value of the thirdproperty may be dependent upon the value of the second property. Inembodiments, an extension may be written to the self-describing filethat defines the calculation used to derive a value for the thirdproperty based upon the second property. Furthermore, if the secondproperty in the described embodiment is related to the first property,the third property is also related to the first property based upon thedefined calculation. In such embodiments, the extensions defining therelationship (e.g., defined calculations) between the first and secondproperties and the second and third properties will capture suchrelationships between the properties. In embodiments, the relationshipsbetween an unsupported second property, defined in the one or moreextensions, and a supported third property may be defined in the dataassociated with the third property. The definition of the secondproperty in the extension section may allow the third property torecalculate and preserve values associated with the third property.

In further embodiments, complex relationships may be defined by one ormore extensions. For example, a fourth property and a fifth property maybe added to the self-describing file during the method 200. The value ofthe fifth property may be related to both the fourth and firstproperties. In embodiments, one or more extensions may be provided thatcapture the multiple dependency of the fifth property. One of skill inthe art will appreciate that embodiments of self-describing filedisclosed herein may be capable of capturing any type of relationship ordependency, regardless of the complexity, by including relationshipinformation in the self-describing file (e.g., by including one or moreextensions).

In another embodiment, rather than defining a relationship between twoportions of data the extension may provide information about a singleportion of data that a less featured application may not nativelysupport. For example, the extension may contain information defining anobject, property, or other component of the self-describing file thatmay not be natively supported by some versions of an application. Inembodiments, the information defining the object, property, or othercomponent of the self-describing file may provide the less featuredapplication with enough detail to calculate a value for the unsupportedportion of the file. As such, extension data may be used for providinginformation about portions of a file other than information related torelationships.

The self-describing file created and saved during the method 200 may beof any type. For example, the self-describing file may be a wordprocessing file, a diagramming file, a spreadsheet file, an image file,or any other type of file that an application is capable of accessingand/or modifying. Furthermore, in embodiments, the self-describing filemay be written in any number of formats without departing from thespirit of the embodiments disclosed herein. The self-describing filetype may be written in an XML format, an HTML format, in a binaryformat, or any other type of format known to the art. While the method200 describes a discrete number of steps occurring in a particularorder, one of skill in the art will appreciate that the method 200 maybe performed in a different order or may comprise fewer or additionalsteps.

FIG. 3 is an illustration of a flowchart representing an embodiment of amethod 300 performed by an application capable of properly recalculatingproperties values stored in a self-describing file. For example,embodiments of the method 300 may be performed by a full featuredapplication that is capable of supporting and/or understanding theobjects, properties, and/or capabilities provided in the self-describingfile. Flow begins at operation 302 where an application opens orotherwise accesses the self-describing file. In embodiments, the step ofopening the self-describing file may occur after another applicationaccessed and/or modified the self-describing file. However, the otherapplication may not have correctly preserved the content of the filewhen modifying it. This may occur due to limitations in the otherapplication's capabilities, the other application's inability tounderstand the content of the file, an error encountered by the otherapplication when writing information to the self-describing file, or forany other reason.

Flow continues to operation 304 where the application determines that atleast one portion of the content of the self-describing file has notbeen properly maintained. For example, a second property of an objectthat is dependent upon a first property may not have been correctlyrecalculated upon modification of the first property. In one embodiment,the application may make such a determination by parsing the file tocheck for missing and/or incorrect data. In another embodiment, thedetermination may be made by checking for an indicator within the filethat the file contents have not been correctly updated. For example, theindicator may be a flag or an error message placed within or associatedwith the self-describing file. Although specific examples are providedas to the process and mechanisms used by the application to make thedetermination at operation 304, one of skill in the art will appreciatethat any manner of determining that that at least a portion of thecontent of the self-describing file is incorrect may be employed atoperation 304.

Flow continues to operation 306 where the application recalculates anyof the file content that was improperly updated during a previousmodification of the self-describing file. In one embodiment, theapplication may recalculate a value for a property, object, or otherportion of the content based upon a relationship, function, or formulaprovided in an extension included in the extension section of theself-describing file. In another embodiment, the application performingoperation 306 may be a full featured application that is capable ofsupporting all objects, properties, and/or capabilities of theself-describing file. As such, the full featured application may becapable of natively recalculating any errant data without reliance uponan extension element in the self-describing file. In such an embodiment,the recalculation of the file content at operation 306 may furtherinclude the addition of information (e.g., object, properties, formulas,and/or functions provided by the extension elements described withrespect to FIG. 1) to the self-describing file. For example, the contentof the self-describing file may not have been properly preserved by thelast application due to the fact that an extension defining arelationship of the content was missing from the file. Uponrecalculating the file content at operation 306, the full featuredapplication may prevent future miscalculations by updating an extensionsection included in or associated with the self-describing file.

Flow continues to operation 308 where the application stores therecalculated file content (e.g., property values, objects, etc.) in theself-describing file. In embodiments, the recalculated values may bestored by writing the values to the self-describing files at operation308. In further embodiments, operation 308 may also include writing orotherwise storing information related to a portion of a file (e.g.,extension objects) to an extension section that is part of or associatedwith the self-describing file at operation 308.

In embodiments, flow continues to operation 310 where the applicationdisplays the file contents from the self-describing file to the user.For example, an object and its properties may be displayed to the user.Returning to the example involving the diagramming application, a shapemay be displayed to the user in a manner such that its properties arecorrectly calculated and displayed. In embodiments, because theapplication recalculated and stored any improperly maintained filecontents at operations 306 and 308, the file is correctly displayed tothe user at operation 310. By doing so, the problems that occur when aless featured application modify a file shared between applications areavoided, thereby providing a user of a less featured application with anenhanced experience by providing a more complete calculation of data forthe file.

While operation 310 is described as displaying the content of theself-describing file to the user, one of skill in the art willappreciate that the application may perform other functionality atoperation 310 such as, but not limited to, playing a video, playingaudio, or otherwise executing the self-describing file to perform afunction or task. Additionally, while the method 300 describes adiscrete number of steps occurring in a particular order, one of skillin the art will appreciate that the method 300 may be performed in adifferent order or with more or fewer steps.

FIG. 4 is an illustration of flowchart representing an embodiment of amethod 400 for preserving unknown file contents. In embodiments, anapplication performing the method 400 may be a less featured applicationthat does not natively support or understand all of the capabilities orfile contents (e.g., objects, properties, etc.) of the self-describingfile. Flow begins at operation 402 where an application opens aself-describing file, such as the self-describing file 100 of FIG. 1.Upon opening the file, flow continues to operation 404 where theapplication receives information related to a portion of theself-describing file that the application may not natively support. Forexample, in one embodiment the application may receive informationdefining an object, property, characteristic, or other portion of thefile that the application does not support. In another embodiment theapplication receives an indication that at least one portion of data inthe file is dependent upon a first portion of the file. For example, asecond property of an object may be dependent upon a first property ofan object. In yet another embodiment, the application receives andindication that certain data is to be updated in the self-describingfile upon performing an action.

In embodiments, the application receives an indication by processing anextension section that may be part of or associated with theself-describing file. In embodiments, the application may examine one ormore extension elements (or one or more children of an extensionelement) in order to derive information to calculate values for extendedportions of the file that the application does not natively support. Anextended portion may be one or more objects, properties, formulas, orany other component or feature of the self-describing file that theapplication does not natively support. In embodiments, the one or moreextension elements may provide information to the application performingthe method 400 to properly preserve content of the self-describing file,even if the application does not support or understand the content. Forexample, the information received at operation 404 may contain afunction or formula that the application may use to derive a value for aproperty, even if the application does not natively support theproperty.

Flow continues to operation 406 where the application modifies a portionof the self-describing file. For example, the application may modify thefile content of a first property based upon user input, such as, forexample, the user changing the shading value of a shape. In otherembodiments, the application may perform the modification automaticallyor in response to an instruction received from another application.

In embodiments, the value of a second property may be dependent upon thevalue of a first property. However, a less featured applicationmodifying the first property may not natively support the secondproperty, may not natively understand the relationship between the firstand second property, or may not natively know the formula or functionused to recalculate the second value. However, because the applicationreceived information indicating the relationship between the propertiesat operation 404 (e.g., a formula used to calculate the secondproperty), the application is capable of properly recalculating thesecond value if necessary.

Flow continues to operation 408 where the application recalculates thevalue of the second property based upon the modification to the firstproperty. The application may use the information received at operation404 to recalculate the value of the second property. For example, theinformation may include a formula for determining the value of thesecond property based upon the first value. At operation 408, theapplication may use the formula to recalculate a value for the secondproperty. As such, the application performing the method 400 is capableof properly preserving file content, even if the file content is unknownor unsupported by the application, using the information received atoperation 404. As such, the information in one or more extensionsassociated with the self-describing file provides an application withthe ability to modify both native and extended portions of the filecontent, thereby providing application with the ability to supportextended functionality in addition to the application's nativefunctionality.

Upon recalculating the value, flow continues to operation 410 where theapplication writes the modified first property and the recalculatedsecond property to the self-describing file. In embodiments, theapplication may store the modified self-describing file in computerstorage media, such as the computer storage media described in FIG. 5 atoperation 410.

While embodiments of the method 400 are described with respect tomodifying a first property value and recalculating a property value, oneof skill in the art will appreciate that the method may be extended toreceive modifications and perform recalculations on more properties.Additionally, while the method 400 is described as receivingmodifications to and recalculating the values of properties, the methodmay be employed to preserve any type of file content such as, but notlimited to, objects, sections, templates, etc. Furthermore, while themethod 300 describes a discrete number of steps occurring in aparticular order, one of skill in the art will appreciate that themethod 300 may be performed in a different order or with more or fewersteps.

With reference to FIG. 5, an embodiment of a computing environment forimplementing the various embodiments described herein includes acomputer system, such as computer system 500. Any and all components ofthe described embodiments may execute as or on a client computer system,a server computer system, a combination of client and server computersystems, a handheld device, a tablet computing device, and otherpossible computing environments or systems described herein. As such, abasic computer system applicable to all these environments is describedhereinafter.

In its most basic configuration, computer system 500 comprises at leastone processing unit or processor 504 and system memory 505. The mostbasic configuration of the computer system 500 is illustrated in FIG. 5by dashed line 502. In some embodiments, one or more components of thedescribed system are loaded into system memory 505 and executed by theprocessing unit 504 from system memory 506. Depending on the exactconfiguration and type of computer system 500, system memory 506 may bevolatile (such as RAM), non-volatile (such as ROM, flash memory, etc.),or some combination of the two.

Additionally, computer system 500 may also have additionalfeatures/functionality. For example, computer system 500 includesadditional storage media 508, such as removable and/or non-removablestorage, including, but not limited to, magnetic or optical disks ortape. In some embodiments, software or executable code and any data usedfor the described system is permanently stored in storage media 508.Storage media 508 includes volatile and non-volatile, removable andnon-removable media implemented in any method or technology for storageof information such as computer readable instructions, data structures,program modules, or other data. In embodiments, the disclosedself-describing files and the instructions to perform the methods ofgenerating self-describing files and preserver unknown content arestored in storage media 508.

System memory 506 and storage media 508 are examples of computer storagemedia. Computer storage media includes, but is not limited to, RAM, ROM,EEPROM, flash memory or other memory technology, CD-ROM, digitalversatile disks (“DVD”) or other optical storage, magnetic cassettes,magnetic tape, magnetic disk storage, other magnetic storage devices, orany other medium which is used to store the desired information andwhich is accessed by computer system 500 and processor 504. Any suchcomputer storage media may be part of computer system 500. Inembodiments, system memory 506 and/or storage media 508 stores data usedto perform the methods and/or form the system(s) disclosed herein, suchas, creating a self-describing file and preserving unknown file content.In embodiments, system memory 506 stores information such as aself-describing file 514 and instructions 516 for performing a method ofpreserving unknown file content as discussed with respect to FIGS. 1 and4. Although not shown in FIG. 5, instructions to perform a method ofgenerating a self-describing file and recalculating the values ofcontents in a self-describing file as discussed with respect to FIGS. 2and 3 may also be stored in system memory 506.

Computer system 500 may also contain communications connection(s) 510that allow the device to communicate with other devices. In embodiments,communications connection(s) 510 may be used to transmit and receivemessages between sender devices, intermediary devices, and recipientdevices. Communication connection(s) 510 is an example of communicationmedia. Communication media may embody a modulated data signal, such as acarrier wave or other transport mechanism and includes any informationdelivery media, which may embody computer readable instructions, datastructures, program modules, or other data in a modulated data signal.The term “modulated data signal” means a signal that has one or more ofits characteristics set or changed in such a manner as to encodeinformation or a message in the data signal. By way of example, and notlimitation, communication media includes wired media such as a wirednetwork or direct-wired connection, and wireless media such as anacoustic, RF, infrared, and other wireless media.

In some embodiments, computer system 500 also includes input and outputconnections 512, and interfaces and peripheral devices, such as agraphical user interface. Input device(s) are also referred to as userinterface selection devices and include, but are not limited to, akeyboard, a mouse, a pen, a voice input device, a touch input device,etc. Consistent with embodiments of the present disclosure, the inputdevice may comprise any motion detection device capable of detecting themovement of a user. For example, the input device may comprise a KINECT®motion capture device, from Microsoft Corporation, comprising aplurality of cameras and a plurality of microphones. Other embodimentsare possible. Output device(s) are also referred to as displays andinclude, but are not limited to, cathode ray tube displays, plasmascreen displays, liquid crystal screen displays, speakers, printers,etc. These devices, either individually or in combination, connected toinput and output connections 512 are used to display the information asdescribed herein. All these devices are well known in the art and neednot be discussed at length here.

In some embodiments, the component described herein comprise suchmodules or instructions executable by computer system 500 that may bestored on computer storage medium and other tangible mediums andtransmitted in communication media. Computer storage media includesvolatile and non-volatile, removable and non-removable media implementedin any method or technology for storage of information such as computerreadable instructions, data structures, program modules, or other data.Combinations of any of the above should also be included within thescope of readable media. In some embodiments, computer system 500 ispart of a network that stores data in remote storage media for use bythe computer system 500.

The example embodiments described herein may be implemented as logicaloperations in a computing device in a networked computing systemenvironment. The logical operations may be implemented as: (i) asequence of computer implemented instructions, steps, or program modulesrunning on a computing device; and (ii) interconnected logic or hardwaremodules running within a computing device. Generally, consistent withembodiments of the invention, program modules may include routines,programs, components, data structures, and other types of structuresthat may perform particular tasks or that may implement particularabstract data types. Moreover, embodiments of the invention may bepracticed with other computer system configurations, including hand-helddevices, multiprocessor systems, microprocessor-based or programmableconsumer electronics, minicomputers, mainframe computers, and the like.Embodiments of the invention may also be practiced in distributedcomputing environments where tasks are performed by remote processingdevices that are linked through a communications network. In adistributed computing environment, program modules may be located inboth local and remote memory storage devices.

Furthermore, embodiments of the invention may be practiced in anelectrical circuit comprising discrete electronic elements, packaged orintegrated electronic chips containing logic gates, a circuit utilizinga microprocessor, or on a single chip containing electronic elements ormicroprocessors. For example, embodiments of the invention may bepracticed via a system-on-a-chip (SOC) where each or many of thecomponents illustrated in FIG. 8 may be integrated onto a singleintegrated circuit. Such an SOC device may include one or moreprocessing units, graphics units, communications units, systemvirtualization units and various application functionality all of whichare integrated (or “burned”) onto the chip substrate as a singleintegrated circuit. When operating via an SOC, the functionality,described herein, with respect to the self-describing files may beoperated via application-specific logic integrated with other componentsof the computing device 500 on the single integrated circuit (chip).Embodiments of the invention may also be practiced using othertechnologies capable of performing logical operations such as, forexample, AND, OR, and NOT, including but not limited to mechanical,optical, fluidic, and quantum technologies. In addition, embodiments ofthe invention may be practiced within a general purpose computer or inany other circuits or systems.

FIGS. 6A and 6B illustrate a mobile computing device 600, for example, amobile telephone, a smart phone, a tablet personal computer, a laptopcomputer, and the like, with which embodiments of the disclosure may bepracticed. With reference to FIG. 6A, an exemplary mobile computingdevice 600 for implementing the embodiments is illustrated. In a basicconfiguration, the mobile computing device 600 is a handheld computerhaving both input elements and output elements. The mobile computingdevice 600 typically includes a display 605 and one or more inputbuttons 610 that allow the user to enter information into the mobilecomputing device 600. The display 605 of the mobile computing device 600may also function as an input device (e.g., a touch screen display). Ifincluded, an optional side input element 615 allows further user input.The side input element 615 may be a rotary switch, a button, or anyother type of manual input element. In alternative embodiments, mobilecomputing device 600 may incorporate more or less input elements. Forexample, the display 605 may not be a touch screen in some embodiments.In yet another alternative embodiment, the mobile computing device 600is a portable phone system, such as a cellular phone. The mobilecomputing device 600 may also include an optional keypad 635. Optionalkeypad 635 may be a physical keypad or a “soft” keypad generated on thetouch screen display. In various embodiments, the output elementsinclude the display 605 for showing a graphical user interface (GUI), avisual indicator 620 (e.g., a light emitting diode), and/or an audiotransducer 625 (e.g., a speaker). In some embodiments, the mobilecomputing device 600 incorporates a vibration transducer for providingthe user with tactile feedback. In yet another embodiment, the mobilecomputing device 600 incorporates input and/or output ports, such as anaudio input (e.g., a microphone jack), an audio output (e.g., aheadphone jack), and a video output (e.g., a HDMI port) for sendingsignals to or receiving signals from an external device. In embodiments,the content of the self-describing file may be displayed on the display605.

Although described herein in combination with the mobile computingdevice 600, in alternative embodiments of the disclosure may be used incombination with any number of computer systems, such as in desktopenvironments, laptop or notebook computer systems, multiprocessorsystems, micro-processor based or programmable consumer electronics,network PCs, mini computers, main frame computers and the like.Embodiments of the disclosure may also be practiced in distributedcomputing environments where tasks are performed by remote processingdevices that are linked through a communications network in adistributed computing environment; programs may be located in both localand remote memory storage devices. To summarize, any computer systemhaving a plurality of environment sensors, a plurality of outputelements to provide notifications to a user and a plurality ofnotification event types may incorporate embodiments of the presentinvention.

FIG. 6B is a block diagram illustrating the architecture of oneembodiment of a mobile computing device. That is, the mobile computingdevice 600 can incorporate a system (i.e., an architecture) 602 toimplement some embodiments. In one embodiment, the system 602 isimplemented as a “smart phone” capable of running one or moreapplications (e.g., browser, e-mail, calendaring, contact managers,messaging clients, games, and media clients/players). In someembodiments, the system 602 is integrated as a computing device, such asan integrated personal digital assistant (PDA) and wireless phone.

One or more application programs 666 may be loaded into the memory 662and run on or in association with the operating system 664. Examples ofthe application programs include phone dialer programs, e-mail programs,personal information management (PIM) programs, word processingprograms, spreadsheet programs, Internet browser programs, messagingprograms, diagramming applications, and so forth. The system 602 alsoincludes a non-volatile storage area 668 within the memory 662. Thenon-volatile storage area 668 may be used to store persistentinformation that should not be lost if the system 602 is powered down.The application programs 666 may use and store information in thenon-volatile storage area 668, such as e-mail or other messages used byan e-mail application, and the like. A synchronization application (notshown) also resides on the system 602 and is programmed to interact witha corresponding synchronization application resident on a host computerto keep the information stored in the non-volatile storage area 668synchronized with corresponding information stored at the host computer.As should be appreciated, other applications may be loaded into thememory 662 and run on the mobile computing device 600, including theself-describing file, the method of creating a self-describing file, andthe method of preserving unknown file contents disclosed herein.

The system 602 has a power supply 670, which may be implemented as oneor more batteries. The power supply 670 might further include anexternal power source, such as an AC adapter or a powered docking cradlethat supplements or recharges the batteries.

The system 602 may also include a radio 672 that performs the functionof transmitting and receiving radio frequency communications. The radio672 facilitates wireless connectivity between the system 602 and the“outside world”, via a communications carrier or service provider.Transmissions to and from the radio 672 are conducted under control ofthe operating system 664. In other words, communications received by theradio 672 may be disseminated to the application programs 666 via theoperating system 664, and vice versa. The radio 672 allows the system602 to communicate with other computing devices, such as over a network.The radio 672 is one example of communication media. Communication mediamay typically be embodied by computer readable instructions, datastructures, program modules, or other data in a modulated data signal,such as a carrier wave or other transport mechanism, and includes anyinformation delivery media. The term “modulated data signal” means asignal that has one or more of its characteristics set or changed insuch a manner as to encode information in the signal. By way of example,and not limitation, communication media includes wired media such as awired network or direct-wired connection, and wireless media such asacoustic, RF, infrared and other wireless media. The term computerreadable media as used herein includes both storage media andcommunication media.

This embodiment of the system 602 provides notifications using thevisual indicator 620 that can be used to provide visual notificationsand/or an audio interface 674 producing audible notifications via theaudio transducer 625. In the illustrated embodiment, the visualindicator 620 is a light emitting diode (LED) and the audio transducer625 is a speaker. These devices may be directly coupled to the powersupply 670 so that when activated, they remain on for a durationdictated by the notification mechanism even though the processor 660 andother components might shut down for conserving battery power. The LEDmay be programmed to remain on indefinitely until the user takes actionto indicate the powered-on status of the device. The audio interface 674is used to provide audible signals to and receive audible signals fromthe user. For example, in addition to being coupled to the audiotransducer 625, the audio interface 674 may also be coupled to amicrophone to receive audible input, such as to facilitate a telephoneconversation. In accordance with embodiments of the present invention,the microphone may also serve as an audio sensor to facilitate controlof notifications, as will be described below. The system 602 may furtherinclude a video interface 676 that enables an operation of an on-boardcamera 630 to record still images, video stream, and the like.

A mobile computing device 600 implementing the system 602 may haveadditional features or functionality. For example, the mobile computingdevice 600 may also include additional data storage devices (removableand/or non-removable) such as, magnetic disks, optical disks, or tape.Such additional storage is illustrated in FIG. 6B by the non-volatilestorage area 668. Computer storage media may include volatile andnonvolatile, removable and non-removable media implemented in any methodor technology for storage of information, such as computer readableinstructions, data structures, program modules, or other data.

Data/information generated or captured by the mobile computing device600 and stored via the system 602 may be stored locally on the mobilecomputing device 600, as described above, or the data may be stored onany number of storage media that may be accessed by the device via theradio 672 or via a wired connection between the mobile computing device600 and a separate computing device associated with the mobile computingdevice 600, for example, a server computer in a distributed computingnetwork, such as the Internet. As should be appreciated suchdata/information may be accessed via the mobile computing device 600 viathe radio 672 or via a distributed computing network. Similarly, suchdata/information may be readily transferred between computing devicesfor storage and use according to well-known data/information transferand storage means, including electronic mail and collaborativedata/information sharing systems.

FIG. 7 illustrates one embodiment of the architecture of a system forproviding the self-describing file 100 and the methods disclosed hereinto one or more client devices, as described above. Content developed,interacted with or edited in association with the self-describing file100 may be stored in different communication channels or other storagetypes. For example, various documents may be stored using a directoryservice 722, a web portal 724, a mailbox service 726, an instantmessaging store 728, or a social networking site 730. Theself-describing file 100 may use any of these types of systems or thelike for enabling data utilization, as described herein. A server 720may provide the self-describing file 100 and/or methods for creating ormodifying the self-describing file disclosed herein to clients. As oneexample, the server 720 may be a web server providing theself-describing file 100 and/or the methods for creating or modifyingthe self-describing file disclosed herein over the web. The server 720may provide the self-describing file 100 and/or methods for creating ormodifying the self-describing file disclosed herein over the web toclients through a network 715. By way of example, the client computingdevice 718 may be implemented as the computing device 500 and embodiedin a personal computer 718 a, a tablet computing device 718 b and/or amobile computing device 718 c (e.g., a smart phone). Any of theseembodiments of the client computing device 718 may obtain content fromthe store 716. In various embodiments, the types of networks used forcommunication between the computing devices that make up the presentinvention include, but are not limited to, an internet, an intranet,wide area networks (WAN), local area networks (LAN), and virtual privatenetworks (VPN). In the present application, the networks include theenterprise network and the network through which the client computingdevice accesses the enterprise network (i.e., the client network). Inone embodiment, the client network is part of the enterprise network. Inanother embodiment, the client network is a separate network accessingthe enterprise network through externally available entry points, suchas a gateway, a remote access protocol, or a public or private internetaddress.

Additionally, the logical operations may be implemented as algorithms insoftware, firmware, analog/digital circuitry, and/or any combinationthereof, without deviating from the scope of the present disclosure. Thesoftware, firmware, or similar sequence of computer instructions may beencoded and stored upon a computer readable storage medium. Thesoftware, firmware, or similar sequence of computer instructions mayalso be encoded within a carrier-wave signal for transmission betweencomputing devices.

This disclosure described some embodiments with reference to theaccompanying drawings, in which only some of the possible embodimentswere shown. Other aspects may, however, be embodied in many differentforms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments setforth herein. Rather, these embodiments were provided so that thisdisclosure was thorough and complete and fully conveyed the scope of thepossible embodiments to those skilled in the art.

Although the embodiments have been described in language specific tostructural features, methodological acts, and computer-readable mediacontaining such acts, it is to be understood that the possibleembodiments, as defined in the appended claims, are not necessarilylimited to the specific structure, acts, or media described. One skilledin the art will recognize other embodiments or improvements that arewithin the scope and spirit of the present disclosure. Therefore, thespecific structure, acts, or media are disclosed only as illustrativeembodiments. The disclosure is defined by the appended claims.

1. A method for calculating properties of an object defined by a first application, the method comprising: opening, by a second application, a self-describing file created by the first application, wherein the self-describing file comprises: a first property of the object; and a second property of the object, wherein the second application does not natively support the second property of the object; receiving an indication that the second property of the object is dependent on the first property of the object; receiving a modification to the first property of the object; recalculating a value of the second property of the object based upon the indication that the second property of the object is dependent on the first property of the object; and storing the file, wherein the stored file comprises the recalculated value for the second property of the object.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the self-describing file further comprises a formula for calculating the value of the second property of the object.
 3. The method of claim 2, wherein the formula defines a relationship between the first property and the second property.
 4. The method of claim 2, wherein recalculating the value of the second property of the object based upon the indication that the second property of the object is dependent on the first property of the object comprises recalculating the value using the formula.
 5. The method of claim 1, wherein the indication that the second property of the object is dependent on the first property of the object is defined by an extension element associated with the self-describing file.
 6. The method of claim 1, further comprising: receiving an indication that a third property of the object is dependent on the second property of the object; and recalculating a value of the third property of the object based upon the indication that the third property of the object is dependent on the second property of the object.
 7. The method of claim 1, further comprising displaying at least one native property of the object by the second application.
 8. The method of claim 1, further comprising recalculating a native property value based upon a second property value of the object.
 9. A computer storage medium encoding computer-executable instructions that, when executed by at least one processor, perform a method for calculating properties of an object defined by a first application, the method comprising: opening, by a second application, a self-describing file created by the first application, wherein the self-describing file comprises: a first property of the object; and a second property of the object, wherein the second application does not natively support the second property of the object; receiving an indication that the second property of the object is dependent on the first property of the object; receiving a modification to the first property of the object; recalculating a value of the second property of the object based upon the indication that the second property of the object is dependent on the first property of the object; and storing the file, wherein the stored file comprises the recalculated value for the second property of the object.
 10. The computer storage medium of claim 9, wherein the self-describing file further comprises a formula for calculating the value of the second property of the object.
 11. The computer storage medium of claim 10, wherein the formula defines a relationship between the first property and the second property.
 12. The computer storage medium of claim 10, wherein recalculating the value of the second property of the object based upon the indication that the second property of the object is dependent on the first property of the object comprises recalculating the value using the formula.
 13. The computer storage medium of claim 9, wherein the indication that the second property of the object is dependent on the first property of the object is defined by an extension element associated with the self-describing file.
 14. The computer storage medium of claim 9, further comprising: receiving an indication that a third property of the object is dependent on the second property of the object; and recalculating a value of the third property of the object based upon the indication that the third property of the object is dependent on the second property of the object.
 15. The computer storage medium of claim 9, further comprising displaying at least one native property of the object by the second application.
 16. The computer storage medium of claim 9, further comprising recalculating a native property value based upon a second property value of the object.
 17. A system for calculating properties of an object defined by a first application, the system comprising: at least one processor; and a memory storing computer-executable instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, perform steps comprising: opening, by a second application, a self-describing file created by the first application, wherein the self-describing file comprises: a first property of the object; and a second property of the object, wherein the second application does not natively support the second property of the object; receiving an indication that the second property of the object is dependent on the first property of the object; receiving a modification to the first property of the object; recalculating a value of the second property of the object based upon the indication that the second property of the object is dependent on the first property of the object; and storing the file, wherein the stored file comprises the recalculated value for the second property of the object.
 18. The system of claim 17, wherein the memory further comprises computer-executable instructions to perform steps comprising: receiving an indication that a third property of the object is dependent on the second property of the object; and recalculating a value of the third property of the object based upon the indication that the third property of the object is dependent on the second property of the object.
 19. The system of claim 17, wherein the memory further comprises computer-executable instructions to perform a step comprising displaying at least one native property of the object by the second application.
 20. The system of claim 17, wherein the memory further comprises computer-executable instructions to perform a step comprising further comprising recalculating a native property value based upon a second property value of the object.
 21. A method for accessing a self-describing file, the method comprising: accessing, by an application, a self-describing file, the self-describing file comprising: a first object, wherein the first object is unknown to the application; an extension element, wherein the extension is a container element for providing information related to the first object; and one or more child elements of the extension element, wherein the one or more child elements comprise information defining the first object; and maintaining the first object using the information from the one or more child elements. 